The Potion
by Blue Leah
Summary: Amy Carlisle accidentally invents a much needed potion. Winner of Chamber of Secret's 4th FAD contest.


"Are you sure I'm supposed to drink this?" Steve Carlisle asked his wife, Amy, as the couple got ready for bed. He stood in the bathroom staring at the dark green potion in the cauldron.

"I told you I talked to a healer at St. Mungo's about your snoring problem. Nothing can cure it, but he suggested trying a heavy duty sleeping draught." Steve wrinkled his nose. "Come on, you want to stop snoring, don't you?" Amy begged. "He believes you'll be in such a deep sleep due to the draught that you won't snore."

Steve would do anything for his wife so he quickly drank the liquid. He shook his head trying to get rid of the aftertaste. Already with his pajamas on, he lay in the queen-sized bed and pulled the covers over him.

"Good night, love," he said.

"Night, Steve."

Amy kissed her husband on the lips after she crawled into bed herself.

"Tomorrow, honey, I'm trimming those nose hairs," she said, staring up into his nose.

"Mmm," he replied, the draught already kicking in.

Amy laid her head against her pillow and closed her eyes. She was ready, more ready for this than anything, to get a good night's sleep. But, no sooner than she closed her eyes did the chainsaw next to her start up. She turned her head into her pillow and screamed.

Taking a deep breath, she realized tonight was not her night for rest. The healer recommended taking the potion for a week before looking at results so perhaps they had to give it time for it to work. Amy hoped with all her might that was it.

"Hold still or I'll slice your nose off." Amy held out her wand as Steve stood over the sink ready for her to trim the hairs in his nose.

"Hurry up, Ames."

Amy waved her wand and little nose hairs fell into the sink and counter below.

"There you go."

Steve kissed his wife quickly.

"Thanks, I'll see you after work."

Amy began cleaning up the nose hairs. She could use magic, but she liked cleaning things by hand sometimes. Muggle-born as Amy was, she couldn't break the habit. She wiped the counter with a towel and in the process knocked over the cauldron of sleeping draught that had been prepared earlier for tonight's use sitting too close to the sink.

"Merlin!" She exclaimed as she bent over to clean up the mess.

Fortunately, only a small amount spilled onto the floor. Most of the draught was still left in the cauldron.

"You know," Steve said after taking a sip of the potion that night, "this doesn't taste as bad as it did last night."

"Maybe you're getting used to it." Amy slipped under the covers.

"Maybe so." Steve followed. "I don't quite feel as sleepy as I did last night. Maybe I am getting used to the whole potion."

Amy sighed. She hoped getting used to didn't mean the effects of the draught would no longer work.

"What's wrong, Ames?"

"Nothing," Amy lied.

"OK." He turned over, closing his eyes. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

Amy groaned silently. Husbands were so difficult to deal with. She turned to face the other side of the room and closed her eyes. Maybe she'd fall asleep before Steve tonight. She lifted her head and kissed him on the lips like she did every night. When he didn't respond she assumed he was asleep. She placed her head back on her pillow and waited. She waited some more. When it didn't come, she sat up and checked for breath. He was breathing, but he wasn't snoring.

"Steve!" She shouted. "Are you awake?"

"Wh-wha?" His eyes fluttered open alarmed.

"Sorry, I was just checking to see if you were asleep."

"Don't do that to me, woman."

Amy laid there for what felt like half an hour waiting for the sound that didn't come. She couldn't believe it. He wasn't snoring! She had found the solution! She could sleep in comfort, in silence, something she'd dreamed of since the two married three years ago.

"You seem refreshed. Did you get a good night's sleep?" Steve asked his wife as he got ready for work in the morning.

"The best I've had in years. Steve, that potion worked!" she exclaimed.

Amy was in the bathroom preparing that night's potion. She looked at the cauldron and smiled. It was a thing of beauty.

"No snoring?"

"No snoring! I think we've found the solution."

Amy pulled the pillow tighter over her ears. She didn't get it. Last night there was no snoring and tonight it was worse than ever. She was sure Steve took the potion before going to bed. She remembered him commenting on how the aftertaste was worse than before. A tear slipped down her cheek. She thought she'd had the solution and now it was all gone.

"I don't get it," Amy stood over the cauldron as she poured in the Sleeping Draught.

"I don't get it, either," Steve said, watching her. "Do you remember doing anything different the second day?"

"I did knock over the potion while cleaning up the mess we made from trimming your nose hairs, but other than…" A light went off in Amy's head. "That's it! Nose hairs. Steve, I need your nose hairs."

Steve placed a hand over his nose.

"We already trimmed them."

"Don't you want to stop snoring? Don't you want me to get a good night's sleep? Don't _you_ want to get a good night's sleep?"

He slowly lowered his hand.

"Fine."

Hovering over the potion, Steve allowed Amy to use her wand and trim the hairs in his nose. The hairs fluttered into the potion.

"I think I'm going to have to shake that up, to mix up the nose hairs and the potion."

There was no lid on the cauldron and Amy worried about the potion flying everywhere.

Steve pulled a flask out of the medicine cabinet.

"Pour the potion and some nose hairs into this."

Amy did so and shook the potion. She smiled. They were onto something big.

A big smile spread across her face that night. Amy lay in bed for thirty minutes waiting for the usual noise to come from her husband. She was sure he was asleep as his breathing had become irregular, but there was no extra noise, none of the freight train, chainsaw sound that usually accompanied him. She did it. She couldn't believe it. The healer told her there was nothing and she was able to produce something. It was easy and she couldn't believe no one had come up with it before. But, then how often do people trim their nose hairs? It was an accident that happened. Amy Carlisle turned over, ready to get to sleep. She couldn't believe _she_ had invented an anti-snoring potion.


End file.
